Beyond The Drift
by King In The North
Summary: Behind every Jaeger pilot is a driving force, a factor pushing them towards reaching their goals. The Hansens are no different. Solace can be found in the most unlikely of forms - such as in medical officer Joanna Caldwell, and aspiring journalist Lilah Powell. Yet solace is not salvation, and the pressures of fame can weigh upon even the strongest shoulders. Herc/OC; Chuck/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The Hansens**

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** A/N: Hello, everyone! So of course, like many of you, we have a deep love of the Hansens...and so decided to do a story focusing on their background and careers as Jaeger pilots. The pairings are obviously Herc/OC and Chuck/OC. Hope you enjoy!**

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_November 11, 2019_

"Hold still." Becky James's tone was firm as she gripped her blonde friend by the shoulders, appraising her. She carefully unscrewed the lid on the silver eye glitter, and Lilah Powell sighed heavily. Upon their arrival at the Hilton_,_ Becky had immediately dragged her into the ladies' bathroom. From her handbag, she'd produced a small array of make-up and two bottles of 'liquid confidence'.

"Becky, I'm already wearing so much mascara I don't think I can blink," Lilah protested, not that it stopped her friend from lunging with the brush. Closing her eyes, Lilah could almost feel herself disappearing in a puff of glitter. She heard Becky's heels clicking on the tiles and knew her friend was stepping back to admire her handiwork. She opened her eyes to Becky's satisfied grin.

"You are a babe," Becky declared proudly, causing Lilah to turn towards the mirror in a brief moment of vanity. Of course, she was disappointingly plain compared to Becky. Rebekah James was every surfer's dream, with ridiculously long legs, a flawless tan and huge hazel eyes. Lilah on the other hand…she was just Lilah, with a mess of blonde curls and a disappointing height of five foot four.

Trust Becky to flirt her way past the attendant at Dan Murphy's and manage to procure two cider bottles without even being asked for ID. Then again, despite being two years under the legal age, Becky could pass for eighteen. Lilah was sometimes met with surprise when she told people she was fifteen. Becky called it being 'sweet-faced' or 'cute'. Lilah called it infuriating.

"Are we good?" Lilah asked almost anxiously. She and Becky had come with Becky's dad, Trent James. He owned a mining company over in Western Australia, and with his immense wealth, was a primary funder for the Jaeger Program. That was part of the reason Lilah had been able to come. The other part was Dylan.

Dylan was Lilah's older brother. Nineteen years old, and already one of the most well-known faces in Australia. Along with his best friend Kyle, Dylan was a Jaeger pilot – the very first in Australia. The pair were charged with the _Vulcan Specter_, a Mark 3 Jaeger that had been operating since early 2018. While Lilah swelled with pride for her older brother, she couldn't help but be jealous with how much he had achieved.

"Liquid confidence first," Becky trilled, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she twisted the tops off the bottles and handed one to Lilah before the younger girl could protest. "Come on, drink up. We're meeting the Hansens tonight. I've heard that Chuck is crazy hot."

Lilah couldn't help but roll her eyes as she clinked bottles with Becky. While her friend took a big gulp, she stuck with a modest sip. Lilah was already wearing three inch heels, and she knew a combination of that and alcohol would have her staggering around the function room in no time.

Chuck Hansen. The world's youngest Jaeger pilot at sixteen years old. He and his father Herc had been announced just today as the pilots of the _Striker Eureka,_ the newest Australian Jaeger and only Mark 5 in existence. Lilah didn't know much about Chuck, but Dylan had had more than enough to say. Was it jealousy that contributed to her brother's angry rant about the younger Jaeger pilot? Lilah couldn't be certain.

Upon their exit from the bathroom, Becky grabbed Lilah's wrist and tugged her across the function room. That was always Lilah – following Becky's lead. She had more of a fascination with Jaegers than cute pilots. Becky was a passionate self-described 'Jaeger groupie', someone who followed the teams around wherever they went. She'd pestered and flirted with Dylan incessantly, until she had seen he wasn't interested in the slightest.

"Look, there he is." Becky pointed shamelessly, while Lilah's cheeks flared with heat at her friend so openly ogling the poor boy. "That's Chuck. Oh, and his dad, Herc. Don't you think he's hot, though?"

Lilah critically examined Chuck Hansen, where he was standing with a Coke in his hand and a lazy smirk stretched across his lips. He was about six foot, with dark blonde hair and a muscular physique. Good-looking? Yes. Incredibly arrogant? Definitely. By the smug expression on the boy's face, he looked like he was enjoying every second of attention he was given.

"Hey, Chuck." Becky was all flirtatious smiles and meaningful glances as she sidled up beside the Jaeger pilot. He didn't look at all averse to her attention, and Lilah couldn't blame him. Becky was very pretty. She thought she had a good idea what was going to happen here. "I just wanted to say, congratulations. You're so young to be a pilot, but I bet you'll be _brilliant._ I mean, you just look so strong."

"Thanks." That smirk never faded from Chuck's lips as he casually leaned against a table, watching Becky closely. "What was your name?"

"Becky James." The brunette tossed back her long bronze tresses. "My dad is Trent James, you may have heard of him. He owns a mining company in Western Australia. Oh, and this is my friend, Lilah Powell."

"Charmed," Chuck barely spared Lilah a glance, before his attention was back on Becky. Lilah felt somewhat awkward, standing there watching her friend flirting with Chuck. He was responding with enthusiasm, so she mumbled some excuse about finding Dylan. Turning around and almost stumbling over her heels to get away from Chuck and Becky, Lilah just about cannoned into a man and woman.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, before her humiliation tripled when she realised that she was standing in front of Herc Hansen. Beside him was a pretty woman with green eyes and long brown hair in a black cocktail dress. Neither of them seemed to be as ecstatic as Chuck, but Herc offered Lilah a tired smile.

"Hercules Hansen." He offered his hand, and Lilah couldn't help but smile in return as she shook it. At least Chuck's father wasn't lacking in manners. "This is my friend and medical officer in the Jaeger Program, Joanna Caldwell."

She glanced between them. "Lilah Powell."

"Dylan's sister?" Herc raised an eyebrow, glancing across the function room. Sure enough, there was Dylan, fair-haired and chatting animatedly with Kyle. "He's a good kid. Great pilot, too. He and Kyle have done an excellent job, and it'll be an honour to help them out."

"Lilah!" Dylan had noticed his younger sister and made a beeline for her, sweeping her into a warm embrace as Herc and Jo made their way over to the beverages table. Lilah couldn't help but grin, grateful for her older brother's company. Aside from Becky, he was the only person at this stupid function that she felt relaxed around. "Having fun yet?"

"I am now," Lilah admitted, tucking an unruly curl behind her ear. When she looked around, she couldn't see Chuck or Becky anywhere. "Becky kind of ditched me to hang out with Chuck Hansen."

"Huh." Dylan didn't look incredibly surprised, and Lilah had to admit that even she wasn't shocked. If there was choice between hanging out with someone cool and staying true to her friends, Becky would always choose someone cool. "That brat. His dad's okay, though. I noticed you were talking to him. He's a great guy."

Lilah enjoyed spending time with her older brother. Since Dylan had become a Jaeger, he spent most of his time at the Shatterdome. Rose, their mother, was constantly complaining about how little time her precious oldest child spent at home. Dylan was practically all Rose talked about, and Lilah couldn't help but feel that her mother compared the two of them, whether intentionally or not.

"I might go and find Becky," Lilah murmured, suddenly feeling awkward and insecure around her perfect, talented older brother. Dylan glanced at her quizzically, but Lilah set off across the function room, trying not to trip in her heels. She could never admit to him that she envied him. Envied his Jaeger, his capability in battle, his popularity…everything. She was just Lilah Powell, Dylan's little sister.

Lilah traipsed out into the passageway, raking a hand through the tangle of her blonde hair. She pushed open the door to the ladies', freezing when she heard the sound of someone moaning softly from a closed cubicle. Lilah kept completely still, in the awkward situation of not knowing whether she should stay where she was or back out of the ladies'. After a few excruciating moments the toilet door opened – and Lilah's jaw dropped.

Becky exited the cubicle, tugging down the hem of her dress. Chuck followed her, buttoning up his shirt and doing up his tie. Lilah was suddenly, embarrassingly aware that she had walked in on her best friend having sex with Chuck Hansen in a toilet cubicle. _A toilet cubicle._ Becky caught sight of Lilah in the mirror and whirled around, hand pressed to her heart.

"Oh my God, Lilah! What the hell?"

Chuck glanced casually at Lilah, obviously not as shocked as Becky. In fact, he offered her a self-satisfied smirk, one that made Lilah want to slap him across the face. How could he be so casual about the whole thing? Becky looked mortified, her cheeks burning bright red. She glanced at Chuck over her shoulder as she clicked across to Lilah.

"Text me?"

Chuck shrugged. "Sure."

Becky grabbed Lilah's arm and tugged her out of the ladies'. Lilah could tell by the fact that Becky was almost stomping, heels digging hard into the carpet, that she was mad at her. She felt confused and also irritated. Anyone could have walked in on what was going on. When they had distanced themselves, Becky whirled around to face Lilah, hazel eyes narrowing.

"What is your problem?"

"What's yours?" Lilah held up her hands defensively. "I just walked in, Becky. I wasn't expecting…that."

At the mention of Chuck, Becky sighed dreamily. Lilah rolled her eyes. No doubt Becky thought this meant they were madly in love. Lilah would be fifty bucks that Chuck had no intention of dating Becky. Her romantic illusions would be unfulfilled and then she would mope until the next cute Jaeger team member showed up and the cycle would start over again.

"Isn't he just so good-looking?" Becky gushed, causing Lilah sigh heavily. She didn't want to shatter her friend's dreams, for there were some things in life that Becky needed to realise the truth by herself. Glancing over her shoulder, Lilah noticed Chuck heading back towards the function room. He noticed her looking and offered her a grin. Lilah responding by narrowing her eyes and turning away.

_You are bad news, Chuck Hansen._

* * *

Joanna Caldwell calmly observed the crowd that had gathered in the convention center of the hotel, sipping on her glass of champagne every now and again. It was made up of the sort of people she never trusted, and certainly never befriended. Politicians, heiresses, groupies with stardust in their eyes, all wearing masks to appear as anything other than what they were. Even she felt a bit fake, with her brunette waves cascading around her shoulders, standing in a skimpy cocktail dress with heels that were so high, she was beginning to question their purchase. No one knew she owned them. This was not exactly her normal, or preferred, look.

In fact, the only person who seemed remotely real was standing to her right, eying a bottle of whisky behind the bar. Hercules Hansen may have been Australia's biggest hero, but he certainly did not like to play the part. Unlike Chuck, who had practically jumped at the opportunity to have his ego stroked, Herc was avoiding the attention at all costs.

Smiling, Joanna leaned against the bar, taking one last swig of her drink. She noticed Herc looking over her. It was hard not to, the man had been staring all night.

"You going to say something, Ranger, or are you just going to keep drooling all over the bar?"

Herc sighed, motioning to the bartender. "If I knew you were going to be like this all night, I wouldn't have invited you."

"Yes, you would have," Joanna replied, stepping over to Herc. She began to fix his tie, which he had been pulling on the entire night, no doubt suffocating in the environment. She could hear him sigh in frustration, which only made her tighten it a little more.

"And…and what makes you say that?"

Joanna looked up, green eyes meeting his deep blue. He was still a couple inches taller, even with her outrageous heels. "Well, it's very simple, really. You and social interactions mix together about as well as oil and water. If I wasn't here, you'd either be gone or drunk off your ass."

"That isn't fair."

"Oh, it's perfectly fair." Joanna stood a bit higher, reaching around until her mouth was right on his ear. She felt him stiffen, subtly but there. Making Herc Hansen, savior of the world, uncomfortable, was one of her favorite pass times. "Besides, I had my own invite. Chief medical officer, remember?"

With that, she lowered herself, slapping him on the chest before reaching for another glass of champagne.

"Woman, you're going to be the death of me," Herc said as he took a shot.

Joanna had to laugh at that, but her smile was short lived. She and Herc had a…complicated relationship to say the least. It was years filled with words unsaid and actions not taken, regrets, spontaneity, and far too much alcohol. And for the longest time, there had just been a comfortable existence, neither of them talking about what could or should have been. They were too busy surviving. The Kaiju had given humanity the gift of dropping everything and moving on with life.

That was until a small celebration for Herc's 39th birthday the night before resulted in the two waking up very naked in his bed.

She would never admit it to him, but that had been the best morning of her life.

Herc Hansen was supposed to be a simple man. He claimed to be, as did most people who knew him. He loved his football and he loved his beer, and getting into fights seemed to prove his manliness in ways she could never understand, although the years had started to knock some sense into his thick skull. He rarely lied and was always straight to the point, but there was something about him that Joanna could never quite wrap her head around. For a simple man, he was still such a mystery to her, and it made her uncomfortable sometimes. Every now and again, she appreciated the reassurance of knowing what a man had on his mind.

Joanna opened her mouth to say something, though at the time she was not sure what, when a mess of a girl stumbled upon them. She recognized her from earlier. Lilah Powell, according to Herc she was the younger sister of one of their other Jaeger pilots. The poor thing was beet red and looked about ready to run from the room.

"What's wrong, dear?" She asked, trying to sound as concerned as possible. Why was she so certain it had something to do with Chuck?

She cleared her throat. "I caught Chuck and Becky…um…"

Joanna had no idea who Becky was, but the sudden bright red complexion on Lilah's face was more than enough for her to connect the dots. Herc, however, was not as adept when it came to the world of women. He looked a little confused, and worried, and possibly angry already, but any mention of Chuck was enough to get him there, unfortunately.

"Say no more. Why don't you have a seat and…Herc and I will handle this."

_Somehow. _

Lilah practically fell into her chair. She looked like she could use some comfort. Luckily for her, Dylan Powell seemed to be out to win the Brother of the Year award. He was at her side in an instant.

"Am I missing something here?" Herc asked, looking between her and Lilah.

Joanna bit her lip. "Chuck wasn't a virgin, was he?"

Herc looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would you-"

To watch the realization dawn on him was a little hilarious, she had to admit. First, he looked like a man who suddenly remembered his age, and deflated a little. Then the anger returned. He was more subtle about it than Chuck, she had to give him that, but Joanna knew that look very well. Chuck had invoked it far too many times in his father.

His gaze instantly locked on Chuck, not that he was too hard to find. He was walking around the room with the smile of a boy who got everything he wanted, and then some.

Herc took another shot before practically storming off from the bar, making a beeline for his son. Joanna had to almost jog to catch up to him, which was not an easy task in heels. Falling would have been a marvelous way to kick off the evening, though it might have made stopping Herc easier. She barely managed to grab his hand and pull him to a stop.

"Not here," she whispered, glancing around the crowded room. Most of the occupants were far too into their drinks and conversations to have noticed, although she saw Lilah staring wide-eyed at them from the bar. "Starting a fight with your co-pilot is hardly a good kickoff to Striker's career."

He didn't say anything, but he didn't make another move for Chuck either. His grip on her hand was painfully tight, but Joanna said nothing about it. Anything to keep the peace.

"Hercules Hansen!" Some man shouted, slapping him hard on the back. Herc was a formidable man, but even he stumbled slightly at the sudden contact. Joanna had no idea who the man was, but she figured he was some sort of politician, one she probably never voted for. "How is Australia's greatest Jaeger pilot this evening?"

Herc looked pained. He always did hate compliments. "A little worse for wear, sir. These gatherings aren't exactly my area of expertise."

"I suppose not! Fighting Kaiju is more your field! Leave the talking to us and the fighting to soldiers, that's what I always say." He turned to Joanna, his gaze making her skin crawl. Even from here she could smell the alcohol on his breath. "And who is this lovely lady? I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."

Joanna saw Herc roll his eyes, not that he had ever been a word master when it came to flirting. "This is my friend Joanna Caldwell. She's a medical officer in the program."

"Charmed," the man replied, kissing the back of her hand like he was some old-fashioned gentleman. Joanna subtly rubbed it on her dress when he turned away. "I believe some photos are in order."

They looked like quite the heroic pair, Herc and Chuck Hansen. Framed and lighted in the right ways, Herc even started to look like he wasn't suffering from all the attention, though compared to his son, he looked like a regular grouch.

Joanna had managed to catch Chuck before the paparazzi had whisked them away, redoing his tie and calling him out on his stunt from earlier. He shrugged it off like it was nothing, but she knew the message had gotten through. For five years she had looked out for him while his father was away at work, and that had been more than enough to get Chuck to take her more seriously than him. Sometimes she wondered if Herc just kept her around for that purpose.

Watching the two of them stand up there, the heroes of Australia, of the world, Joanna could not help but feel the fear creep up her spine. Herc had been at this for years. He was one of the first and had piloted every model of Jaeger the governments could come up with, but every time he went out to fight, she thought he would never come back. It had been enough to make her sick on more than one occasion.

Now they were both up there, father and son, the only family Joanna felt she had left in the world. If they went, where would that leave her?


	2. The First Kill

**Chapter Two: The First Kill**

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**A/N: Hello everyone! So here's the second chapter, please don't forget to review, whether it be positive feedback or constructive criticism!**

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_September 2__nd__, 2014_

_"Ladies and gentleman." The cool female voice resounded through the Boeing-737, and eight-year-old Lilah looked up from the book she'd been reading. "We're embarking on our final descent into Sydney. Our expected time of arrival is in twenty minutes."_

_Lilah glanced at Dylan and rolled her eyes. She could hear the music blaring from his earphones from where she was sitting. Frowning, she leaned across and tapped him on the shoulder._

_"Turn it down."_

_"What?" Dylan yanked one of his earphones out, before grinning wickedly and shoving it right back in. "Sorry, Lilah, I can't hear you."_

_"Stop it!" Lilah nudged him sharply with her elbow and Dylan yelped. Their mother Rose leaned forward from where she was sitting on Dylan's other side, frowning tersely at her two children. They were flying back from a family holiday in Brisbane, where they'd been visiting Rose's parents and siblings. It seemed that all her two children knew how to do was fight. They'd been doing so all holiday and they continued to do so now._

_"Cut it out, both of you," Rose said sharply, before gripping the arms of her chair hard when the plane gave a sudden jolt. The seatbelt sign flicked on and Lilah marked the page in her book, doing up her seatbelt and looking out the window. She didn't like turbulence. It made her feel sick._

_"Attention all passengers." The female voice was back, not quite as calm this time, instead hurried and impatient. "We have been forced to make an emergency turnaround and requested permission to land at Newcastle airport. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience…"_

_"It's bloody ten minutes until landing!" One man yelled angrily, drowning out the crewmember's voice._

_Lilah peered out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the airport – but instead she saw something that made her shrink back in her seat. They were not landing at Sydney airport, because there was no Sydney airport. She recognised the creature wreaking havoc throughout the city, for she'd seen others like it on television. It was a _kaiju_. A _kaiju_ in her home city of Sydney._

_"Lilah?" Dylan was wide-eyed, earphones yanked out as he saw his little sister draw her knees to her chest and suck in deep breaths. He peered past her and noticed the behemoth tearing their city apart, circled constantly by groups of fighter jets. Their fire did little to damage it, and while Lilah turned her face away from the horror, Dylan couldn't seem to take his eyes off it. From the scream down the back of the plane, they weren't the only ones who had noticed._

_"Lilah." Dylan unstrapped himself and kneeled in front of his younger sister, taking her hands in his and making her look at him. "Look at me. We're going to be okay. We're headed away from it. We're going back up north. It won't hurt you."_

_"It's not me I'm worried about," Lilah replied shrilly, blue eyes watery. "What about all those people down there? Are they going to be alright, too?"_

_Dylan couldn't say. He didn't know himself. He just squeezed into the seat beside his sister, hugging her close. Yet over the top of her blonde curls, he watched the battle rage in Sydney Harbour, and yearned to become a part of it._

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_December 16, 2019_

It seemed that wherever a Jaeger went, an army of reporters and photographers would follow. They were almost as fearless as the pilots themselves, venturing right into the thick of the action for a front-page story. The _Sydney Morning Herald_ journalists were among the worst of the culprits.

Needless to say, when a Category III _kaiju_ attacked Manila on the morning of December 16th, most of the city was in a flurry of chaos and excitement as they were glued to the television, avidly watching their Rangers. It was the _Striker Eureka_'s first mission, although Lilah had no doubts that Dylan would have been thoroughly displeased with being ordered to stand down. The Australian Jaeger was accompanied by two others – _Gipsy Danger_ and _Horizon Brave._ _Horizon Brave_ had been destroyed by the _kaiju, _and the other two Jaegers had been deployed to pick up where the Mark I had left off.

Upon the Jaeger's return to Sydney, Chuck Hansen emerged with a lazy smile and an easy manner, all too happy to take the press's questions. Herc was more guarded, offering a tired smile while his eyes remained weary. Lilah was there outside the Shatterdome because she was trying to glean as much information as she could first-hand from the pilots. It had been the same with Dylan – it was always an invigorating experience to see the Rangers fresh from battle.

"The only Mark V in existence," Chuck was bragging to a swarm of reporters who seemed to be hanging off his every word. Not that he minded – the boy seemed to thoroughly enjoy the attention. Lilah wondered, with some contempt, how long it was going to be before some schoolgirls were hounding him to sign their books with mascara wands. "_Striker_ weighs 1.85 tons and is 200 feet tall…"

"250," Lilah murmured under her breath, but quickly realised with mortification that she hadn't spoken as quietly as she'd intended to. Chuck lapsed into silence and turned to frown across at her. Of course, where Chuck's gaze landed, that of the reporters followed.

"What did you say?" Chuck demanded. He didn't sound angry at her, not yet at least. He just seemed to be curious as to why someone else had spoken during Chuck Time. There was a lot he had to learn about the world…although at fifteen, Lilah knew she couldn't really talk.

"I said that _Striker Eureka_ is 250 feet, not 200." Lilah tossed back her hair. She wasn't going to be intimidated by some boy pilot just a year older than her. Chuck's eyes narrowed, before he glanced over his shoulder at Herc. His father's lips were curved upwards in amusement, and he inclined his head. Chuck looked completely thrown off balance, corrected by some fifteen-year-old girl. Some of the reporters seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"What would you know about Jaegers?" One of them demanded, lowering his microphone and throwing Lilah a filthy look. It was almost as if she committed a colossal sin, just because she wasn't important enough for the reporters to recognise her at first sight.

"That's Lilah Powell, idiot," snapped a photographer Lilah vaguely recognised – Isabel Dormer from the _Sydney Morning Herald_, that was right. "Her brother is Dylan Powell, pilot of the _Vulcan Specter_. Or haven't you heard of him, either?"

The reporter who had spoken so disdainfully turned a bright red and muttered something inaudible under his breath. Isabel snapped a quick photo of Lilah, causing the blonde to blink rapidly, unprepared for the bright flash. Chuck was looking exceedingly annoyed, and she didn't stop to wonder why. She was stealing his thunder, and he didn't like it one bit. By the entertained look about Herc's face, he wasn't complaining at his son being shown up.

"So how long did it take us to kill the _kaiju_?" Chuck asked, effectively turning the media's attention back on him. Lilah couldn't help but roll her eyes. What was with this boy and wanting to be centre of attention? She turned her attention from Chuck, looking towards a nearby television, where the _kaiju_'s remains were being inspected from a bird's eye view.

"Does it scare you?" Chuck's voice drew Lilah from her reverie. She hadn't even realised that the reporters were done with interviewing the Hansens, or that Chuck had made his way over to her. She folded her arms over her chest when she turned to face him.

"When it was alive, maybe."

"Well, it's not anymore." A self-satisfied smirk crossed Chuck's lips. "Thanks to the old man and I."

Lilah knew that he was expecting some sort of congratulations from her, perhaps a thank-you. Although Lilah was grateful for the intervention of _Striker Eureka_, she thought Chuck's ego had been stroked enough for one day. She raised her eyebrows coolly. Even two months later, she was unable to look at him straight without thinking about what she'd seen and heard in the toilets the night she'd first met him.

"You also managed to stuff up your Jaeger's figures. Honestly, you should at least get your facts right if you're going to rattle them off."

"Aren't you all high and mighty?" Chuck said mockingly, eyes glittering with amusement as he inspected her critically. "You seemed real shy when I met you at the Hilton."

Lilah was actually surprised that he remembered her. He'd have met hundreds of girls by now, names and faces that flitted by, maybe one girl every now and again who was worth having beneath the sheets, if his attitude with Becky was anything to judge by. Becky had been constantly complaining that Chuck never replied to texts, never answered any calls. Although, she supposed the fact that Chuck remembered her could have to do with her striking resemblance to her older brother.

"You seemed real eager to get in someone's pants when I met you at the Hilton. Your point?"

Lilah could have bitten down on her tongue. She never generally spoke like this, to anyone. Normally she was polite but firm if she thought someone was being rude, or if she disliked them. Maybe it was just because Chuck Hansen went against all of her morals, against everything she believed a Jaeger pilot should be. That must be the reason to explain why she was outspoken towards him when she wasn't with many others – and indeed, when most others weren't with Chuck.

"You usually get an accurate impression of someone when you first meet them." Chuck shrugged, his lip curling into a somewhat mocking smile. "Your friend for example…what's her name? Anyway, it was obvious that she wanted something, I wanted something. I don't see why that's such a big deal to you. Unless the reason it gets you so hot under the collar is because you're a virgin."

"That has nothing to do with it," Lilah gasped out, mortified that Chuck would so openly play that card. Of course, he was right about that, but it wasn't exactly something you spoke about with someone you'd met a grand total of once. "My friend's name is Becky, by the way. Do you remember mine?"

"Lilah Powell."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "That's just because one of the reporters said. Otherwise I bet you'd have no clue. After all, I'm a mere mortal."

Chuck examined her with something like frustration. Maybe he wasn't used to people who weren't stroking his ego. Lilah knew she was being contemptuous towards him, perhaps a little unfairly so. She didn't know him well, but from what she did know, she didn't like him one bit.

"I think you'd be surprised what I do and don't remember. Don't treat me like I'm an idiot."

"Then maybe you should quit acting like one," Lilah retorted, swinging around on her heel and walking away from him. She could practically feel his angry eyes boring into her back as she made her departure.

* * *

"Wasn't it amazing?" Becky sighed wistfully, painting her toenails and electric blue as she and Lilah sat on her bed. Some bubblegum pop duo Lilah hated was blaring from Becky's speakers. She remained silent, because she knew that Becky was talking about the battle in Manila. Lilah thought she'd had enough of Jaegers for one day.

"I guess so," Lilah replied quietly. She hadn't heard the end of it from Dylan. In all honesty, she thought that he was jealous that it had been _Striker Eureka_ deployed instead of _Vulcan Specter_, but he would never admit it.

"Come on, Lilah, where's your head at?" Becky rolled her eyes, putting down the bottle of nail polish and frowning across at her friend. "Didn't you _see_ what happened in Manila?"

"Of course I did," Lilah stated, glaring at the speakers as if that could shut up whatever stupid girl band was playing. "I was at the Shatterdome when the Hansens got back. I saw them too."

"What?" Becky was instantly alert, as of course happened every time she heard even a whisper about Chuck. She'd been complaining incessantly about him not bothering to contact her, but if she thought there was still a chance, she'd take it. "You saw Chuck? Did he say anything about me?"

Lilah dearly wanted to slap some sense into Becky. Oh yes, Chuck Hansen was going to come back from his intense first battle with a _kaiju_ and casually ask how Becky was. Sometimes she really did think her friend lived in a fantasy world. Chuck Hansen was not a one-woman man. What would it take for Becky to understand that?

"No, he didn't, Becky," Lilah said wearily, raking a hand through her blonde hair. "He was too focused on harping on about _Striker Eureka_'s stats. Although, I had to correct him when he got the height wrong."

"You corrected Chuck Hansen?" Becky sounded horrified, as though Lilah had committed some sort of terrible crime.

"Well, yeah," Lilah retorted, "He's not a god, Becky. He can be wrong."

That was the problem with society today, though. Jaeger pilots were seen as god, and their word was law. For Lilah to have corrected something Chuck said…well, it made her seem very pretentious for a start. Refraining from sighing at Becky's attitude towards Chuck Hansen, who was in fact just a sixteen-year-old boy and not some kind of deity, Lilah extended her hands and reluctantly allowed Becky to paint her nails crimson.

* * *

September 2nd, 2014

_Joanna had watched the first mushroom cloud rise toward the sky, her heart catching in her throat. Never in all her life had she imagined something so destructive being so close to the city she called home. And yet, it was that destructive force that was supposed to be their salvation, if they were lucky._

_Turns out luck had abandoned them long ago._

_She was on the helipad, helping evacuate patients from the Balmoral Naval Hospital where she was employed as a civilian doctor for the Royal Australian Navy, when Scissure finally made landfall. _

_All activity seemed to stop as civilians and sailors alike witnessed the massive Kaiju crawl from the depths of the port. They had seen the attacks on television, read the survival stories in the papers, but none of it could have prepared them for an actual event._

_Scissure waded through the shallower waters, surrounded by attack choppers and occasionally pestered by a sortie of fighter jets, none of which seemed to faze it in the least bit. Eventually, it crawled out, crushing the exterior of the opera house before moving further into downtown Sydney._

_Buildings crumbled like they were made of sand. People screamed, cars were tossed into the air, and all Joanna could do was watch as thousands of people died right across from her._

_Many individuals insisted that she leave, but Joanna was not stepping foot off the base until all her patients had been evacuated. And another part of her did not want to go until she heard from others in the city._

_She had been born and raised in Sydney, many of her friends were in those buildings so close to Scissure. Had they escaped? Were they injured? Her cell couldn't get through. Her mother and father owned a restaurant. Her closest friend, Beth, was a banker. And Herc…_

_Oh God, his family._

_He was gone, safe on an air base, but his wife and his son…_

_She just couldn't leave._

_"Doctor Caldwell!"_

_Joanna turned to see a helicopter pilot dashing toward her, voice barely audible over the sound of the Sikorsky Seahawk in the background. He grabbed her arm tightly and attempted to pull her toward the vehicle, but she resisted._

_"No, I can't!" she shouted. "There are people I know out there! I can't just leave them!" _

_"Doctor, we have ten minutes before they're going to level the place. We need to go!"_

_"They're what…" It hit her like a ton of bricks. Another nuke, dropped right on top of Sydney. But the people. There were so many left. "No, no, they can't do that! They'll kill everyone!"_

_"I'm not in charge!" he shouted back, finally dragging her to the helicopter standing by. "I'm just the guy who wants to live!"_

_Joanna climbed inside and strapped in. She was surrounded by what remained of the medical staff, all very terrified and pale; she suspected she did not fare much better._

_She had never flown in a helicopter before and the sudden lurch from its launch made her stomach churn. They gained altitude quickly, but the Kaiju did not seem to get any smaller. Even as they turned away from it and made a beeline for anywhere outside the city, it did not shrink. Never had she imagined a creature so enormous to be possible, and now it was on her front doorstep. _

_Her eyes were still glued to the city when the second nuke hit._

_The initial brightness made Joanna shield her eyes, but then all she saw was the mushroom cloud standing where her home was, where everyone and everything she had ever known was, and now they were all gone._

_The realization of it all came in the blink of an eye, for in the next, the force of the explosion caught up to the helicopter, thrashing it in open air. All Joanna could hear was the sound of emergency alarms and of the other passengers screaming. Was she? It was hard to tell one person from the other. They were falling, hard and fast, destined to crash._

_And all she could think of before they hit was him…_

* * *

December 16th, 2019

Joanna practically jumped from her desk as the dream ended with the crash. She looked around her office and the adjacent medical facility, noticing the lack of…everyone, really, and put her head back down. Ever since that day, sleep had never come easy to her. To see her napping while on duty was the norm for most of her staff, although when inspections came, they were kind enough to inform her. She figured she must have been doing something right if they hadn't reported her yet.

Scissure had taken everything from her that day. Beth had died when the building she worked in collapsed on her, and they never had actually recovered her parents' bodies. Angela was gone too, but Joanna preferred not to linger on her. There was a guilt still rooted deep in her chest that had nothing to do with surviving.

The thought, however, triggers a memory.

Striker Eureka!

Her head shot up. Quickly, Joanna began to shuffle through the assorted files on her desk, not stopping until she found her tablet underneath. After shouting at it for a couple of seconds, technology was never her strong suit, the tablet coughed up a message about the recent return of the wayward Hansens from their successful mission in Manila, nearly an hour earlier.

"Shit!"

Joanna jumped out of her seat, nearly tripping over it as she ran out of the office. Of all the days for her to be late for something, which was actually a very rare thing for her, it had to be this day. All that time she had spent worrying about them, sick to her stomach. It was why she had not slept well, and why she could have been found unconscious on her desk. Oh, why hadn't anyone woken her up?

She jogged through the crowded passageways of the Shatterdome, narrowly avoiding personnel as she made her way to Scramble Alley. If she was lucky, they would still be there, no doubt examining whatever damage may have been caused to the Jaeger. For her sake, she hoped it was blessedly intact. She could still remember Herc's early days in the program. Chuck, still far too young to do anything other than cheer for the Rangers, would be at her house, glued to the television screen as he waited for any sign of his father. Joanna often wished Herc could see it all from her perspective. Chuck may have acted as though his father was the worst thing to happen to him, but one never would have guessed it by the way he used to worry.

Scramble Alley was filled to the brim with workers, all working in some way or another to get Striker Eureka back in shape. At first glance, the Mark V looked as good as it did when it first rolled out of the factory, aside from the occasional pieces of Kaiju stuck to its frame. It was only upon closer inspection that Joanna noticed a few unsavory marks along its torso. Clearly the damage had done nothing to the pilots, otherwise her facility would not have been as empty as it was, but it still sent a chill down her spine.

"He's not here, Jo."

Joanna turned to Chuck. Still clad in his drivesuit, he hardly looked like the boy she had seen grow up. There was still that arrogant air about him, that would never go away, but she could see he was tired, and wary. He hadn't forgiven her. She could hardly blame him for that.

"Well, it wasn't just him I was looking for, Chuck."

"You sure about that?" he asked, getting uncomfortably close. Joanna could see the anger burning in his eyes. She had never Drifted, but was well aware of its capabilities. Knowing everything, seeing everything. It must have felt like his whole life was a lie, and the only people he had come to rely upon had just stabbed him in the back. "Cause, the way I see it, he's the only one you ever gave a damn about."

Her eyes narrowed. "Damn it, Chuck, you know that's not true." She lowered her voice, not wanting to cause a scene. Still, eyes around the Shatterdome flitted to them now and again. "I took care of you when Herc was gone. It nearly killed me when I thought you had died in Sydney."

"And what about my mum, Jo? Did it make you sad when she died, or did you jump for joy?"

Joanna would have slapped him right there and then, but she held back. It was the last thing they needed. Frankly, she was surprised Chuck even worked with his father still, but maybe his ambition to be a Jaeger pilot superseded anything else. She didn't doubt that. He had wanted to be one for so long, to avenge his mother, to be like his father. Now who did he look up to?

"Despite what the Drift might tell you, what you think you know is only half the story. I would give anything to have Angela alive right now."

"I doubt that," Chuck said with a sneer, taking off. "My old man is in his room. Try not to enjoy it too much."

* * *

Even with Chuck's words still burning in her mind, Joanna made her way to the officers' quarters. She couldn't remember how many times she told herself to stay away from him, but Herc Hansen was like a drug to her, and she always came back. Before Angela, there had only been her, and she supposed they had just never gotten over it.

His door was closed, but unlocked, like he was anticipating her arrival. He probably was.

Herc was nowhere to be found in his room, but she could hear the sound of running water from the bathroom. Slowly, she made her way over, observing the walls as she did so, not that she hadn't already had the opportunity to memorize them.

He was leaning on the counter, watching the water spill into the sink below him. His shirt was tossed on the floor beside him, revealing a battered and scarred body. It looked like he had seen a lot of action in his life, and while he had, Joanna knew that most of the marks had come from his days in football.

Joanna snaked her arms around his waist, pressing her lips against his spine. He sighed, relaxing in her grip, but said nothing for a while. She waited.

"We lost Horizon Brave today."

She was vaguely familiar with the Jaeger. An old Mark I out of China.

"That old thing never did stand a chance against a Category Four. Managed to save the crew for what it was worth." He sighed again. "Striker Eureka performed well, but the suits won't like this. They're already talking about other options, about a goddamn wall."

Herc slammed his fist on the counter. Joanna stood straight, watching him in the mirror.

"The hell is a wall going to do for them? These things smash through buildings like they're made of cardboard!"

She remained silent, waiting until the anger burned out of him. Herc may have been quick to it, but never stayed that way for long.

After a minute or two, she put a hand on his shoulder. He took a hold of it, coarse fingers with a gentle grip. One look at him and no one would have thought it. "They're just scared."

Herc stood up, turning to face her. Her hand wound up on his chest. "That doesn't make it right. They need to listen."

She chuckled. "If there is anything I have learned from being in the program, it's that you and Stacker don't back down easily."

"Stacker's gonna have to pull off a miracle for this one."

"Well, he is the perfect man for it."

Herc nodded, no doubt remembering Tokyo. Then his tone changed. "You saw Chuck?"

Joanna looked down. "Of course I did."

She felt his grip tighten. "I swear, if he said anything-"

"It was nothing I don't deserve." Joanna paused. "Please, Herc, can we not discuss it today? I'm just glad you're back."

He looked like he wanted to say something, continue their argument over Chuck, but there must have been something written on her face that convinced him otherwise.

Joanna removed her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt him embrace her, still as strong and protective as ever; she hated being away from that. Was it really so wrong of her to have wanted this, even if he had belonged to another? They said people could not help who they fell for, and Herc Hansen was a difficult man to forget.

She felt him bury his face in her neck. His fingers started to play with loose strands of hair that fell from her bun. The small actions made her smile. "Every time you go out there, I think you're never coming back."

"I'm glad you have such confidence in me."

Joanna leaned back, resting her forehead on his. "I'm serious, Herc."

Before he said anything, Herc reached down and picked her up by the thighs, carrying her to the counter where she sat, arms still around him. He placed both hands on either side of her, looking into her eyes with a deep intensity Joanna thought she might lose herself in.

"It's going to take a hell of a lot more than a pissed off Kaiju to keep me from coming back here," he paused, kissing her forehead. "I made the mistake of leaving you once. That's not happening again."


End file.
